Army Materiel Command brings 'last MRAP' to port

The last U.S. Army mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle to depart from Iraq arrived at the Port of Beaumont, Texas, May 6, on its way to the 1st Cavalry Brigade Division Museum at Fort Hood, Texas, for preservation and display.

Much media attention focused on the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, known as an MRAP, when it crossed from Iraq into Kuwait, Dec. 18, 2011.

Once the vehicle crossed into Kuwait, it fell under the control of AMC's Responsible Reset Task Force, charged with the retrograde of 3.9 million pieces of equipment, including 30,000 wheeled vehicles.

AMC provides a forward presence in Kuwait to move equipment either stateside or to Afghanistan.

The MRAP left Kuwait March 24, on the freighter Ocean Crescent, shipped by the Military Surface
Deployment and Distribution Command, one of AMC's major subordinate commands.

The arrival of the last MRAP marks the conclusion of one of the largest and quickest withdrawal efforts in Army history.

Designated the Lead Materiel Integrator on behalf of the Army, AMC is responsible for ensuring Soldiers have the equipment they need at the right time and place.

"It's important that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars by saving every piece of equipment we can," said Lt. Gen. Dennis L. Via, deputy commanding general of AMC during the fall Association of the United States Army symposium. "This mission would not have been possible without the relationships that were developed and invested in with our strategic materiel stakeholders," Via said.

"Our successes were enabled with coordination and relationships between Department of Defense and Army agencies, as well as industry partners," Via continued.

AMC faces multiple challenges in the coming year with the Afghanistan R2TF mission, removing
millions of pieces of equipment from the land-locked and geographically constrained environment.